BASICS

REQUIREMENTS

• 3 - 5 players. (The rules are same for all but best dynamics with 4 players.)
• A normal deck of 52 playing cards with 1 joker.

BASIC IDEA (the game in a nutshell)

Suit Taboo is a card game where players cast suit doubts on others (of their suit identity) while trying to keeping their own identity hidden.

• The dealer deals each player a suit card (face down): either an ace or a joker. It defines the player's suit identity and forms the basis of his history line.
• On their turn, the players can either 1. pick a hand card (max. 5 cards), 2. build a doubt catapult, or 3. cast a suit doubt with it.
  • The doubt catapult is a table card (face up) used for casting a doubt, but it also reveals about the player: it can never be the player's own suit.
  • The catapult can either shoot 1 card of the same suit (as the catapult), or 1 - 3 cards of the same number (with a bonus). Each catapult may only shoot once.
  • The doubts are placed face down into each target's history line, while the shooter either dumps the catapult or collects it face up (as a bonus shield) into his.
• When the round ends, the doubts take effect. Each player who had enough doubt shields to block rightful doubts (= ace's suit, or any for joker) is a winner.

LAYOUT AND START UP

The players are in a ring, and the deck is divided into the suit deck (with 4 aces and 1 joker) and the remaining play deck (= 48 cards).

• The dealer shuffles the suit deck and deals each player 1 suit card face down (ace or joker). Each should check their suit.
  • HISTORY LINE: The collected doubt shields (face up) and received doubts (face down) are placed above the suit card overlapping each other. Only the owner can check the received doubts, others just know the doubt count (and see the shields).
• The dealer then shuffles the play deck and deals each player 2 hand cards and draws 2 open cards from the deck next to it.
  • UNUSED ROLES: Any leftover suit cards (in 3- and 4-player-games) are typically kept face down under the 2 open cards (see the picture above).
• The player on the dealer's left starts the round, and turns flow clockwise from there on. In the next round, the next player clockwise deals.

PLAYING

ON YOUR TURN

Each turn, you must play one of the three options below:

• Pick a new hand card - either from the deck or one of the two open cards next to it.
• Build a new doubt catapult: by putting one hand card face up (and sideways) on the table.
• Cast suit doubt(s) face down towards other player(s). The action uses up the doubt catapult and 1 - 3 hand cards / open cards.
• GETTING STUCK: If you manage to fill your hand with your own suit (with an unfitting catapult), you won't be able to participate any longer.
  • The player should just declare it to others and his turn will be skipped for the remaining round. (The cards will be checked after the round.)

1. PICK A HAND CARD

Pick a new hand card from the deck or one of the 2 open cards next to the deck.

• After picking an open card, a new one is drawn from the deck, so that there are always 2 open cards when a turn starts (except in the end of the round).
• Each player can have at max. 5 hand cards, so this option is only available with 4 or fewer hand cards.

2. BUILD A CATAPULT

Place one hand card face up (and sideways) on the table in front of you.

• Importantly, the card must not be your own suit - for the joker-player any suit is fine. (Cheating is not in the spirit of the game - and you'd get caught anyway.)
• If you already had a catapult, the old one is dumped into the center of the table face down. (It will re-emerge from the deck after the current deck has run out.)

3. CAST SUIT DOUBTS

Place 1 - 3 fitting hand and/or open cards face down on the catapult card and "cast" them to the chosen player(s).

• The catapult can shoot 1 card of the same suit (as the catapult). However after usage, it's dumped into the center face down (= no shield bonus).
• Alternatively, the catapult can shoot 1 - 3 cards of the same number, in which case it's collected face up into the shooter's history line (as a doubt shield).
• The player decides freely where to cast each doubt by placing them face down on the targeted history lines. (It's allowed to cast all to one in a multi-shot.)
• The target player(s) may verify that the shot was valid - by checking that the doubt is the same suit as catapult (= no bonus) or same number (= bonus).
• The player may use hand or open cards as ammunition, or mix in both. If included open cards, new ones are drawn from the deck after the shot.

ENDING

DECK RUNS OUT

When the deck runs out, it's reshuffled from the dumped cards (if any) by the player whose turn it was. If happens again, shuffled again.

DECK & DUMP RUN OUT

When the deck runs out and there are no dump cards to rebuild it from, the game transitions to an end mode:

• NO DECK: The deck won't be reshuffled any more (even if more dumped cards appear), but the 2 open cards may still be picked.
• DROP OUT: The players have an extra one-way option to drop out: dump remaining hand cards (and an unused catapult) face down into the center.
• ENDING: When all are empty handed (or have got stuck earlier by hand full of own suit), the round stops and history lines are flipped.
  • The lines are turned around, so that role and doubts point face up and bonuses down. The hand cards of any stuck players are verified (cheating = losing).

SCORING

The flipped history lines then indicate winners (= unexposed) from losers (= exposed). The game is typically played until 2 or 3 wins.

• ACE / JOKER: For ace roles only doubts of the ace's suit are rightful - others can be discarded. For joker all are half-rightful (= cheaper to block).
• PENALTIES: Each rightful doubt with a low card (= 2 - 10) carries 1 penalty, while face cards (= J, Q, K) and the role card itself (= A / joker) 2 penalties.
• BONUSES: Each doubt shield (now face down) can then cancel 1 penalty for ace roles, or 2 penalties for joker - the involved cards are discarded.
• WINNERS & LOSERS: Finally, each player that cleared away all his penalties is considered unexposed (= a winner), while any others are losers.

EXTENSIONS

TABOO ON THE WIRE (role based)

This extension adds a subtle layer of role dynamics by giving the suit cards specific roles.

• For all roles it still applies that you can only win if you remain unexposed (= enough shields to block the rightful doubts). But each has extra requirements.
• BAD GUYS: The black aces ♤A and ♧A are the bad guys: they want bonus shields, and to win must have at least 1 shield (after blocking the rightful doubts).
• DETECTIVES: The red aces ♥A and ♦A are detectives, who can only win if all the bad guys present in the round are exposed.
  • For each exposed bad guy, the detectives gain 1 extra shield: each takes one of the dumped cards (or some other token) into their history lines face down.
• McNULTY: The joker is detective McNulty who wins if he can figure out the network and point out to everyone where the bad guys are.
  • The perfect moment is right before revealing the history lines: he shouts out and points where each black ace is (= which suit is which player, or whether out).
  • Like others McNulty must remain unexposed, but it makes no difference to him whether the bad guys are officially exposed or not (just proving the pattern).

Story-strategical notes

• The bad guys mostly care about shields (to ensure their victory). To perfect the art, they'll want to betray any other bad guy and stop McNulty.
• The detectives want all the bad guys exposed (and so often choose black catapult suits). As always the selfish ones try to expose each other and McNulty.
• For McNulty it's him against the world. To live up to perfection, he'd have to expose everyone else, or then be satisfied with sharing the victory.

STRATEGY

PLAYING CATAPULT SUITS

Understanding the meaning of catapult suits is multi-faceted but essential to a good strategy.

• Obviously, try not to show which suit you are. So stick to 1 or 2 chosen suits for catapults (the 3rd one can totally give you away) and keep your poker face.
  • Even during the last shots, be careful to not make it obvious - to avoid some deadly last blows (and avoid helping McNulty in the Taboo on the Wire).
• However, revealing a 2nd catapult suit may also be beneficial to open up gameplay - it's better to get bonuses and shoot others than to wither away.
  • This is especially true for the joker role, as revealing more suits makes you a less likely target for those suits, and thus redirects doubts away from you.
  • As an ace, if most face cards of your suit have been removed (as shields, doubts, or are in your hand), then you're much safer to reveal a 2nd suit.
• When you choose a catapult suit, you're making life both harder and easier for that suit. If diversifying, this effect is also lessened and dispersed.
  • Easier because you're eating away his suit as catapults (vs. doubts), but harder as it's easier for others to find the right target (and cast deadly face card doubts).
• It's usually not wise to choose the same main/first/only catapult suit as someone else (and narrowly only use that catapult suit), though not always.
  • All involved will be competing for the same suit for catapults. Especially so if catapulting the same suit, though half will then come back after reshuffling.
  • For that ace role (if around), this does make him a more likely target (for rightful doubts), but also means more of his suit gets used for catapults (vs. doubts).

POWER OF THE SAME NUMBER SHOTS

When planning what to cast, prefer casting with the same number instead of the same suit (= your catapult suit). In order of obviousness:

• Obviously, you get the catapult as a shield for this feat. The only downside is that it stays visible to everyone (instead of potentially becoming forgotten).
• Sometimes you can get lucky and find another (hand or open) card of the same number and shoot a double (or even triple) shot.
• Playing numbers, it's easier to shoot again with the same suit, as opposed to consuming your catapult suit cards quickly (and soon need a new suit).
• You're more likely (on average) to have better knowledge for choosing the targets - fewer targets to choose from.
  • When you cast with your catapult suit, it can often be that no one else has the same catapult suit - so you don't know where to cast.
  • By playing the same number you're casting some other suit, and it's more likely that others have used that particular suit -> fewer potential targets.
• Same number shots allow ace roles to cast away their own suit. And while those doubts won't damage others (except the joker), it makes sure the cards won't damage you, which is especially comforting with face cards.

OTHER WISDOMS

• Picking random (vs. open) cards is riskier, but also advantageous: others won't know what you picked. (Though can speculate on what you didn't pick.)
• Pay more attention to which suits others avoid picking (from the open cards) than what they do pick. The suits they pick are often (or will be) visible in their history, and the numbers picked fit their cards at the moment.
• For ace role players, collecting cards of your own suit has both good and bad strategical implications.
  • It's good in that others won't be casting them against you (especially with face cards), but bad in that your casts won't hurt others either, except the joker role.
  • It's also cumbersome in that you can't place them as catapults and might end up filling your hand with them and even dropping out early.
  • Because players usually avoid picking (low cards of) own suit, showing this tendency can be revealing. So picking a few of own suit may mislead others.
• Use high cards preferably only for the shots you're (nearly) certain about - especially since their penalty is double but not their worth as a doub shield. When casting high cards of your own suit target who you think might be joker.
• Using open cards for casting doubts (without first picking them up) saves you in tempo and can at times yield bigger shots. On the other hand and accordingly, you might also consider snatching them away to prevent others from these extra gains.
• Periodically scan around the situation visualized by the collected catapults (= shields) to figure out some emerging patterns. However the visualized situation is not the whole, because sometimes catapults are dumped instead - so remember those moments until the end.
• When others are struggling while you have many fitting hand cards, consider keeping up the pressure: don't pick the open cards they don't want, and soon they'll stumble (and yield a new catapult suit). Of course, anyone may deflate the pressure.

HISTORY

v1 - Suit Taboo (2024-02-25 -> 2024-03-05)

• v1.2 (2025-05-03): Added a quick shot mechanism (thanks to Anna Rautio), refined scoring for joker role and revealing, and clarified the ending.
• v1.1 (2024-04-01): After first real game sessions, changed details about scoring related to face cards (and removed the related extension).
• v1.0 (2024-02-28): Refined how many hand cards (4 -> 5), and that can always cast with the same suit (= earlier only using face card catapults).
• v0.2 (2024-02-27): Reorganized scoring (= replaced it with a mechanism), some game details and extensions.
• v0.1 (2024-02-25): First version of the game. Idea was to stay hidden while figuring out who others are (but by casting doubts you also reveal about yourself).

THANKS

INSPIRATION

The original inspiration from exploring the dynamics of separated knowledge, more specifically (the universal game of) hide-n-seek.

FOR IDEAS, HELP WITH DEVELOPMENT & PLAYING

Johannes Aho, Ville Viitala, Anna Rautio, Jan Roperter